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Taste of the Himalayas in A&P Strip Mall

Jewel of Himalaya - a newish restaurant in the A&P strip mall in nearby Harrison got a nice write-up in The New York Times. We've tried the take-out (you can dine-in, take out or have it delivered) and it's pretty good, especially given the paucity of ethnic food choices in our area.

Have you tried the restaurant? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment below.

The review:

"Momos, or dumplings, are the most popular food item of the region, and Jewel of Himalaya had them by the half-dozen for a snack, starter or an entire dinner...

Jewel’s diners are given a choice of seasonings: mild, medium or spicy. We gauged the kitchen’s idea of spiciness and ordered “medium,” but also requested a side of sepen, a fierce Tibetan chili sauce, in case the kitchen held back. Used cautiously, sepen warmed and transformed quite a few mild soups, sauces and momos.

As for entrees, tandoori chicken seemed to be a favorite here. Many platters of steaming, sizzling chicken legs emerged from the kitchen and scented the entire dining room. Tandoori chicken tikka employed the breast meat some diners might prefer.

From a good selection of vegetable dishes — including chickpeas, spinach, beans, eggplant — we chose dal makhini. Jewel’s version proved beyond delicious. This thick, gorgeously seasoned stew of lentils and beans went with everything, especially rice.

Sauces, or gravies, have borrowed tastes from India and China, neighbors on the Himalayan range. So heavy flavor hitters like cardamom, tomato, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, onion, chilies and more come into play, and meats are more often used as flavoring. Ginger and garlic curry was a striking vehicle for Himalayan chicken and beef, and cashew and almonds did much the same for Himalayan korma. Himalayan aloo had little cauliflower but came loaded with potatoes, a staple crop of Nepal."

Comments

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I went there for dinner first, then lunch about a week later. Dinner was EXCELLENT. I thought the food would be like Indian food, but it wasn't. Similar, but not the same. And beautifully prepared. At lunch the buffet was very good. Not as fantastic as the dinner, but I think with a buffet it's very hard because the food has to sit there in a warming pan. I had some of the Nepalese dishes too and they were great. The mutton curry is made with goat meat but it doesn't taste weird in any way - in fact, it was one of my favorite dishes. I've eaten goat before so I wasn't afraid to try it. It's great to find food that's actually different enough to feel new but close enough to what you know to not be scary.